Respiratory apparatus for use in coal-mines and like places.



W. E. GARPOETH.

E PLACES.

RESPIRATORY APPARAT US FOR USE IN GOAL MINES AND LIK APPLICATION FILED APR.10. 190s.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

5 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Y" (akin/n0 g W. E. GARFORTH. US FOR USE IN GOAL MINES AND LIKE PLACES.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IESPIRATORY APPABAT APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1908. 908,239.

W. E. GARFORTH. RESPIRATORY APPARATUS FOR USE IN .GOAL MINES AND LIKE PLACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3,

. W E. GARPORTH. RESPIRAITQRY APPARATUS FOR USE IN GOAL MINES AND LIKE PLACES.

. APPLICATION FILED APR.10. 190a. 9839 Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

W. E. GARFORTH.

US FOR USE IN GOAL MINES AND LIKE PLACES.

RESPIRATORY APPARAT APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

fied nitrogen ano oxygen.

WILLIAM EDWARD GARFORTH, OF NORMAKTON, ENGLAND.

BESPIRAEOBY APPARATUS FOR USE IN CDAL-IMEN'ES AND 111% PLACES.

fipecification of Letters Patent.

?atented I: fit- ,1908.

Application filed April 10, 1908. Serial No. 4526,1 59.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM EDWARD GARFORTH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Normanton, Yorkshire, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Respiratory Apparatus for Use in Coal-Mines and like Places, and of Which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to an improved headgear and a face-piece, the latter covering the mouth and nose of the wearer of respiration a paratus for use in coal mines and other p aces.

The head-gear of respiration apparatus to which this invention refers, must comprise a mouth and nose casing which is termed the face-piece, which must be supported in contact with and must fit against the face of the wearer, so that his mouth and nose communicate with the interior chamber of the said face-piece, and fromthis face-piece tubes must extend to convey away the expired air, and to bring into that face-piece a supply of puri- At the same time it is essential that the person wearing'this head-gear shall be able to freely move his head, and that the face-piece, as well as the pipes which communicate with it, shall be free to follow such in vements; and beyond this, it is desirable that the wearers head should not be burdened with a great weight, and that the face-piece should be capable of some adjustment upon the face of the wearer, so that a standard head-gear can be adjusted to fit the person by whom it is to be used.

The object of this invention is to meet all these requirements.

According to this invention 1 provide a face-piece, the edge of which is fitted, as is common, air-tight t0 the face of the wearer,

and to this face-piece l rigidly connect the necessary tubes by which the expired air 1S taken away and by which the purilied nitrogen, or nitrogen and oxygen supply is admitted, and I cause these tubes to meet together or form them in one structure, and they pass over the head of the wearer like the crest of a Grecian helmet. These rigid tubes extend to the back of the head of the wearer about the neck, and there they are connected to flexible tubes which extend to the air puritying and supply apparatus as usual.

The Wearers head is surmounted by a cap,

Which may be of leather or other material and covers the top of the head, and this head cap carries external loops through which the rigid tubes extend, and the said cap may, have a back piece covering the back of the head, and in this way the face-piece can be adjusted relatively to the head'cap, and having been so adjusted until the lace-pieae'is in the desired position on the face of the wearer, the said face-piece is supported in position by the tubes and is further secured by straps passing around the back of the head of the wearer.

Theconstruction-of the invention is now described and shown on the accompanying drawings as applied to that particular form of respiration apparatus which is the subject of patent application by myself of even date herewith.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a left-hand side elevation showing theparts of the apparatus assembled in position. Fig. 2 is a front view of the apparatus shown in Fig. .1. Fig. 3 is a rear view 0 the apparatus shown in bi s. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of t 1e face-piece and helmet detached. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line X, Y of l ig. 6 in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line X Y of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical section showing .the rear bil'urcated end of the double tube which passes over the head-cap, drawn to a larger scale than the previousfigures. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section through the face-piece drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 5 and 6, and illustrates the valves in the said face piece. Fig. 3 shows, in perspective, a portion of one of the screwed retaining rings for holding the valves in position in the lacepiece, and Fig. 10 is a sectional perspective view of one oi the valves detached; Fig. 11 being a vertical section of the same valve drawn to a larger scale.

In order to enable the general arrangement of the parts shown at Figs. ,1, 2 and 3 to be sulliciently understood, I will first give a gen-- eral description ol the same. "lhe face-piece 1 is fitted on the interior with an inlet and an outlet valve, hereafter described, respectively communicating with a double tube 2 passing over the helniet :3, the tube 2 being bil'urcated at its rear end, and to these two tubular ends two llexible pipes 4, 5 are connected, the pipe 4 being in communication with the exit valve in the face-piece and communicating with the regenerating case 6, while llOXllJlO'PlPBS 7 connect the regenerating case 6 with a storage bag 8 for nitrogen,

. fir 11 and 12 (hig. 2) is a reducing'valve w ch of the apertures in the communicates, by a pipe 13, with a branch of the pipe 11 connected with the oxygen cylinders, and the oxygen passed by the pressure-reducing valve 12 passes, by a flexible pipe 14'. to the interior of the face-piece 1,

so that the valve 12 is governed by the act of res iration of the wearer of the apparatus.

uch being the eneral arrangement of the a paratus, I wilflnowdescribe in greater detai the construction of the head-gear and face-piece forming the. subject of the present invention referring more particularly to Figs. 4 to 11. The head-cap 3 of leather or like material has loops 38 on its exterior surface, through which loops passes a double metal tube 2 curved to. conform a proximately to the head of ,the user. e forward end of the tube 2 conjoins, carries, and supports the face-piece 1, while the tube 2 is divided interiorly 6 and 7), and is bifurcated at its rear end to form two nozzles 39, 40, one communicating with each passage of the tube 2, and to the nozzle 39 the flexible pipe 4 is connected b a union nut, while to the nozzle 40 the flex1- ble pipe 5 is similarly connected. The facepiece 1which is made of metal and is carried by the double tube 2 aforesaidis constructed so that the edge of its open face fits the face of the user, so that the latters mouth and nose are in communication with a chamber 41 (Fig, 8)," and further forward the face-piece is divided by a partition in which there are two valved apertures, one being an outlet aperture communicating with a chamber 42, and the other an inlet aperture communicating witha chamber 43, and the chamber 42 communicates with that passa e in the double tube 2 leading to the flexib e pipe 4, and the other chamber 43 communicates with the other passage communicating with the flexible pipe5. Each partition is fitted with a valve, one being an outlet valve 44 and distance pins 50.

and the other an inlet valve 45. Both valves are of similar construction, the inlet valve being shown in detail at Figs. 10 and 11 this consists ofa-circular casing 46 which is dropped intothe aperture in the partition of the face-piece and held by a screwed ring 47, Figs. 8 and 9, and Within the case 46 is a light circular diaphragm 48 (Fig. 11) capable of moving between a knife edge seating 49 Thus u on the expiration of the users breath. t e valve 45 will be thrown against its seating, and the valve 44 will be carried away from its seating to form two passages (Figs.

eoaase on to the ins 50, and upon inspiration, the valves w' be caused to assume the positions shown at Fig. 8.

A tube 51 (Fig. 5) passes into the face-- piece communicating With'the chamber 41, the outer end of the .tube bein connected by a screw nozzle with the fiexib e tube 14 conveying the oxygen and communicating with the valve, and at its inner end where it o ens thus, carried by the tube 2, and-in order to I firml secure it in the position into which it has een adjusted, it is further held by straps 53 which may the pad or back-piece 55 of the head-cap 3 finddbe buckled at the back of the wearers I have described my improved head-gear pass through loops onand face-piece along with the constructional details which adapt it to the respiration apparatus which I have described in the specilication of my application of even'date herewith, but it will be obvious that the said head-gear and face-piece can be equally well employed for other known constructions of respiration apparatus, as for instance it can e employed in respiration apparatus in which the expired air passes by a tube from the face-piece to the regenerator, and in which the oxygen supply passes through an injector in a supply tube which also conducts the purified nitrogen from the regenerator to the face-piece, whereby by the injectorlike action of the oxygen, a continual circu lation of air takes place through the facepiece and regenerator, this being a type of respiration apparatus well known. In such an application it will be obvious'that the separate oxygen supply pipe 51, leading into the face-piece, would be dispensed with. r

What I claim as my to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In head-gear for respiration the combination with a face-piece tting airtight against the face of the wearer and having a chamber with which the mouth and nose of the wearer communicate; of rigid tubes fixed centrally to the upper part ofthe facepiece to carry and support the latter, said tubes communicating with said chamber extending adjacent to one another, curving over the head of the wearer, and terminatingat the back of the head, means for conducting away the expired air and for introducing fresh air through said tubes from and to said chamber of the face-piece, a flexible which has long been agiparatus head-cap fitting the top of the head of the wearer, means for slidably connecting said head-cap to said tubes so that said head-cap can be adjusted upon said tubes, and means for holding said face-piece in close contact with the face of the wearer, substantially as set forth.

2. In head-gear forrespiration a paratus; the combination with a face-piece 'tting airtight against the face of the wearer and having a chamber with which the mouth and nose of the wearer communicate, a rigid tubular structure fixed centrally to the upper part of said face-piece, curving over the head of the wearer and terminating at the back of the neck, a longitudinal division in said tubular structure forming two passages therein both communicating with the cham ber of the face-piece, said tubular structure at its rear end being bifurcated to form two nozzles one communicating with each of said passages, means for holding the face-piece against the face of the wearer; of a flexible head-cap fitting the top of the wearers head, and loops on said head-cap through which said tubular structure passes and is free to be slid, and means for introducing purified air through one of said passages of said tubular structure to the chamber of said face-piece, and means for conveying away the expired air from the other of said passages of said tubular structure, substantially as set forth.

3. In head-gear for respiration apparatus; the combination with a face-piece fitting airtight against the face of the wearer, a partition in the interior of said face-piece forming a chamber with which the mouth and nose of the wearer communicate, the said partition having two apertures, an exit valve located in and governing one aperture and an inlet valve located in and governing the other aperture, rigid tubes fixed centrally to the upper part of the face-piece to carry and support the latter, said tubes communicating with said chamber, extending adjacent to o'ne'another, curving over the head of the wearer and terminating at the back of the head, one of said tubes communicating with the inlet valve of said partition and the other communicating with the outlet valve of said partition, means for conducting away the expired air from one of said curved tubes communicating with said outlet valve, and means for introducing purified nitrogen through the other tube communicating with said inlet valve to said chamber of said facepiece; of an oxygen storage cylinder, a suc- Lion-operated reducing valve with which said cylinder communicates, a tube freely opening into said chamber of said face-piece with which the mouth and nose of the.

wearer communicate, and a flexible pipe connecting said tube with said reducing valve through which oxygen supply can be drawn by suction into said lace-piece, a

flexible head-cap fitting the top of the head of the wearer, means for slidably connecting said head-cap to said tubes so that said headca'p can be adjusted upon said tubes, and means for holding said face-piece in close contact with the face of the wearer, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand-in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM EDWARD GARFORTH. Witnesses:

GRIFFITH BREWER, John J own'r'r. 

